One More! (Murder)
by Angevon
Summary: [Cielo Mist #1] People are being murdered once again in Inaba, the bodies strung up from telephone lines. At first people believe it's a copycat killer mimicking the gruesome murders from the previous year, but Souji Seta and the Investigation Team suspect otherwise. [Both 'Souji' and 'Yu' versions are available!]
1. Chapter 1

[Author's notes: This story takes place after Persona 4 Arena (P4AU and Dancing All Night haven't occurred because I wrote this before those games were out) and before Persona 4 Golden's Epilogue.

This contains P4 spoilers and some minor references to P4A's story mode. This is a clean story with no shipping intended.

A Yu Narukami version is available at Dreamwidth at the following address:  
angevon dot dreamwidth dot org/2959 dot html  
Every 'dot' should be a '.'

Please enjoy!]

* * *

Souji sat across the table from his little cousin, Nanako. They were both idly watching the television, spending some silent time together before her bed time. He would have liked to help her with homework, but since summer break had just started, she had plenty of time to finish her assignments. It could wait. They had already spent an exhausting afternoon playing silly games with the stuffed animals Kanji had made for them, so it was time to relax. And beyond all that, today was Souji's first day back in town since Golden Week. He was curious about what had happened in Inaba since then, so they were watching the local news. Golden Week had been only about a month and a half ago, but he always liked to be well-informed, and the events of Golden Week itself had been so distracting that he hadn't had much time to pay attention to things during it.

A news flash interrupted their peace with a sudden, shocking announcement.

Death in Inaba.

Souji tensed as he listened to the report. Was it murder, again? The last string of serial killings to plague the town had started over a year ago, and Souji and his friends had barely put an end to it this spring. Was the respite really going to be so short-lived?

In his musings he hadn't noticed Nanako's reaction, and she changed the channel before he could catch what few details the media had discovered. He was about to ask her to change it back, but his heart softened at her troubled expression. The news of death meant her father, Dojima, would likely not come home tonight. Although she always put on a brave face, she'd worry about him out there working on the case.

Right now would be the perfect time for a Junes commercial to come on, but luck wasn't with Souji tonight, so he had to try and cheer the girl up on his own. He was good at it by now. Nanako was his cousin, but over the time spent in the Dojima household, they were now as close as siblings. She even called him 'big bro,' a title that he longed to live up to.

"It'll be all right," he told her.

"I'm so glad you're here, big bro!" Nanako smiled at him, her eyes bright and warm, her worries put aside for now.

"Let's make the boxed lunches for tomorrow," he suggested. They spent the rest of the evening before bedtime in the kitchen. Souji watched over her like a mother hen as she peeled and cut carrots for the kinpira gobo he'd planned to make. Nanako was a budding young chef, cooking almost every day for her father. Souji felt a kinship with her in that regard; his own family had often been away when he was growing up, leaving him to fend for himself. At least Dojima allowed Nanako to do the shopping as well. In Souji's experience, there was nothing worse to a hungry child than an empty refrigerator.

As a result, Souji wasn't a bad cook himself. In fact, he prided himself on being the best in his group of friends, though he'd never boast about it. That was why he'd volunteered to make the lunches for tomorrow, although his friends had tried to refuse his offer. He pointed out that they had served him during Golden Week, and that Nanako had already stocked the fridge, and they finally relented. He was secretly relieved about that. Yukiko, and Chie, and even Rise... they all had a rather dynamic way of cooking...

Souji took over the cooking when it came to stir-frying, although Nanako protested that she could do it. She probably could, at that, but she was only seven. He smiled and directed her to prepare the boxes while he took care of it. They were making several boxes, after all. He thought of other meals he had made for his friends before. Maybe one day he'd learn to make the perfect daigako imo.

When they were finished, Nanako looked tired from the long day of play, so Souji sent her to bed, volunteering to take care of the dishes himself. It would give him some time to think. He worked silently, humming the Junes theme to himself, when suddenly the house was filled by a sound as soft as rice pouring into a jar, a sound that made him pause.

It was raining.

Why did it always rain when he visited Inaba...? He couldn't help but feel uneasy. Would the Midnight Channel air once again? He recalled the death announced on the news, and resolved to watch the turned-off TV in his room that night.

* * *

Midnight came and went, and the TV remained featureless. Souji sighed in relief; he'd been holding his breath as the clock ticked away towards that dark hour.

So there is nothing supernatural going on, he thought to himself. He could sleep soundly, although maybe he'd have a nightmare about Golden Week. Had that all happened just last month? It was hard to believe...

He stared at the TV for a few more minutes as a thought occurred to him. Did he still have the power? He touched the TV... and his fingers went into the screen, causing a ripple of lights to cascade around them. He quickly pulled his fingers back with a shudder.

Yes, he still had the power to enter the TV World.

* * *

The next day Souji took Nanako to Junes, where they walked around and looked at all of the displays. Even after a year, the superstore was still the girl's favorite place to visit. Souji didn't mind, although he steered her gently away from the electronics department. The last time Nanako had entered the TV World, she had almost died. He couldn't risk that happening again. Junes had so many large-screen TVs around that accidentally falling into one was not impossible.

When it was lunchtime, they went to the food court. Souji bought a Topsicle for Nanako while they waited for the rest of his friends to arrive.

First, of course, was Yosuke, sporting a Junes apron since he worked there. They'd run into him earlier in the produce department, but he had been too busy with customers to do more than wave to Nanako. "I finally get a break!" he said, plopping down into the seat across from Souji in obvious relief. "They're having a buy-one, get-one sale on daikon..." He made a face, and Nanako giggled. "It's not funny! They work me to the bone!"

"I'm glad to see you too, Yosuke," Souji said, his eyes dancing. "Where's Teddie?"

Yosuke looked around in surprise. "Huh? He was right behind me! Aww, geez, where'd that bear get off to?" Yosuke stood up, albeit reluctantly. "Sorry, man, I'll go find him." Teddie was probably in his costume, entertaining children somewhere. He had become Junes' unofficial mascot and, for the most part, he really enjoyed the role. It fit his happy-go-lucky nature perfectly.

As if on cue, a cheerful voice rang out, saying, "Topsicles for everyone!" and Teddie appeared in his red-and-white striped bear costume. He skated towards them quickly, carrying far more Topsicles than his stubby hands should be able to carry. He stopped suddenly at the table, his big oval eyes becoming disappointed. "Nana-chan already has one? No fair, Sensei!"

"It's all right, Teddie," Souji said. "I'm sure Nanako-chan can have another."

"Are you sure, Sensei? We don't want Nana-chan to get a bearly-ache!"

"I hate to say it, but the bear does have a point," said Yosuke, eyeing the Topsicles himself with a calculating look. "Too many is bad for you—" Without another moment's hesitation, he swiped one out of Teddie's hand and unwrapped it and put it in his mouth.

"Yo-su-keee!" Teddie whined. "You could have asked! I would've given you one!" Teddie's eyes brightened. "Sensei, have one!" He shoved one under Souji's nose.

"Uh, thanks Teddie," Souji said, gingerly taking one with a green wrapper.

"No, thank YOU, Sensei!" Teddie replied, folding his hands behind his back. He was always happy to be of service, especially when it came to Souji.

They ate the Topsicles while talking about their favorite flavors until Chie and Yukiko arrived together, as they tended to do. The girls were best friends, after all.

"Souji! It's good to see you again!" Chie said. She was wearing a light green blouse, jean shorts, and sneakers.

"I hope you had a pleasant trip," Yukiko chimed in. She almost always wore red; today it was a red jumper with matching shoes and headband.

Before they even sat down, Yosuke pulled out Souji's bag of boxed lunches from under the table. "Well, now that everyone's here, let's see what Souji cooked up for us! At least we know it's edible." He shot a glance at Yukiko, who didn't seem to notice.

Souji nodded. "Nanako helped me. Didn't you?" He patted his cousin on the head and she nodded and blushed at the attention.

"But everyone's not here," Chie protested, putting aside the box Yosuke handed her. "Kanji-kun isn't here yet. We gotta wait for him."

"Come on," said Yosuke. "I've only got 10 minutes before my break ends. I can't wait much longer!"

"Like you couldn't wait to use the toilet back in the TV World?"

"That was like a year ago! Give me a break, Chie!"

Souji smiled to himself. If Yosuke and Chie could bicker as usual, then everything was fine in the world.

Just a few minutes later, Kanji arrived. "Hey senpai," he said. He glanced over everyone there. "Hey... Naoto's not here yet?"

"Of course that's the first thing you'd notice," said Yosuke, rolling his eyes.

"W-what's wrong with that?" Kanji growled. "I just haven't seen her since that damned Grand Prix thing ended, is all."

"Dude, Nanako-chan's here, don't use language like that!"

"I'll use whatever language I want, you—"

Chie headed off the budding argument. "Naoto-kun couldn't make it. She's on another case. But, honestly, I wonder if she'll be called in. You all heard about it, right? The murder. They didn't say who the victim was..."

Unconsciously, Souji drew Nanako closer to himself. "I don't know much about it. It happened last night, right? Teddie, do you know anything?"

"Why would I know anything, Sensei? I'm just an innocent bear!"

"You're 'bearly' innocent," Yosuke muttered. "Wanting to 'score' with the girls all the time."

"Hehe! Yosuke made a joke!"

"He meant in the TV World, Teddie," said Chie.

"Oh! I'm paws-itive nothing's going on over there!" Teddie beamed at everyone, oblivious to the fact that someone from their very town had died.

"They're saying it might be a copy-cat killer," Yukiko said. She looked mournfully down at her boxed lunch and picked at its contents with her chopsticks.

Yosuke glanced at Souji and Nanako. "Well, let's not talk about that," he said. Souji nodded gratefully at him. The little girl didn't need to be exposed to this. She had enough of it at home, the few times Dojima talked about his police work. "So, Nanako, do you and Dojima-san have any plans for the summer? I mean, with this guy here," – Yosuke indicated Souji – "you ought to be doing something."

"Even if Dojima-san can't take any time off, we'll make sure you have a fun summer," Chie chimed in. "Isn't that right, guys?"

"We need to go to the beach at least!" Yosuke declared. "Maybe we can get Naoto to come, and finally see her in that swimsuit. Right, Kanji?"

"Rise's probably had enough of beaches by now," Chie mused. "She's on a photo-shoot right now. That's why she's not here."

"Why don't we go to the movies in Okina?" Souji suggested. "That is, if everyone's free?" He glanced at Yosuke, realizing his friend was probably not free, and was sad he didn't think of that before making the suggestion.

"Hey, Souji, it's all right. You have fun with everyone," Yosuke said, poorly hiding his disappointment. "I really can't take off today. We've hired some summer help and I've got to train them."

"If you ain't going, lend me your motorcycle, senpai!" Kanji said. "I don't wanna bike it, 'specially if Teddie's going!"

"No way, man! I'm not letting my bike anywhere near there. Hanako might destroy it again!"

After further debate, they decided to go to the Samegawa riverbank instead. The flowers were in full bloom, so it would be an enjoyable walk. They could always see a movie another day.

* * *

That evening, after Nanako had been put to bed, Souji watched the news. The recent murder victim—the death was now classified as a murder—had been a third-year student at Yasogami High School. The cause of death was not released, but the body had been strung up over a telephone pole, in a style reminiscent of the three murders that took place last year. But it couldn't be the same killer; he was in police custody.

The telephone phone rang. Souji answered, and Dojima's deep voice came over the line. "I know I haven't been home lately. You probably know why. So take care of Nanako for me." Souji told him he would and prepared to cradle the phone—his uncle was always to the point—when Dojima suddenly spoke. "...Hey, did you happen to know the girl? She went to Yasogami. Her name was Hamano Michiyo."

"Hamano... I think she was in the class next to mine. I can ask my friends," Souji offered.

The line went silent for several long moments. Dojima had suspected him of involvement in the murders last year, and although that was in the past, sometimes Souji felt like an outsider to his uncle. Dojima told him that he was part of the family, but...

"Yeah. Please do," Dojima finally answered. "I want this case solved so I can go back to being a father."

Souji then felt a wave of sympathy towards his uncle. The last year had been hard on the police detective. Admitting his nephew, who was almost a stranger, into his house, trusting said nephew to take care of Nanako, spending days and days away from home working overtime due to the murders, almost losing Nanako when she was kidnapped and fell ill, and, on top of all that, discovering that his bumbling partner in the force was the one responsible for it all... It was a wonder he could bear it all.

"I'm glad you're back," Dojima said gruffly before hanging up.

* * *

The next day Souji planned to go into town and visit Daidara Metalworks to admire the owner's latest weaponry, but his cell phone rang when he was only a few feet out of the Dojima residence. It was Yosuke with an urgent message. "Souji! Something's seriously wrong here! Junes is closed!"

Souji couldn't understand what his friend said next; he seemed to be in hysterics. Souji asked him to calm down. He heard Yosuke take several deep breaths before he continued. "All right. Thanks, partner. I'm all right now. But it's really bad. Seems like there was another murder, and the victim was found caught in the phone lines around Junes. The store's crawling with police. I think I even saw Dojima-san around. Anyway, we can't do any business like this, so we closed the store for the day."

Souji didn't take long to come to a decision. "We should gather everyone who's available. You're right. There's something wrong here again. We can't sit around."

"Well, we can't meet up at Junes..."

"Then let's go to Aiya. I'll see you there soon."

* * *

They met in front of Aiya, the town's popular Chinese eatery, before going in: Souji, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko. Teddie was absent; Yosuke said he was on cleaning duty at the store until the police were done there. Kanji was busy helping his mother tend Tatsumi Textiles. After they all took a seat and ordered, Souji asked everyone for information.

"The first victim was one of our classmates," Yukiko said mournfully. "I didn't know her well, but it's still very sad."

"They've taken her boyfriend in for questioning," Chie added. "I heard he had a fight with her just the day before, so he might even be the prime suspect."

"But that doesn't explain this morning's victim," said Yosuke. "I'm so glad I slept in late... They say the body was right there in front of the store. Imagine going into work and remembering that every time I walked into Junes. Then every day wouldn't be great."

"Every day's HORRIBLE at your Junes!" said Yukiko, and she began laughing, a crazy, raucous laughter born more out of sadness than humor.

"Do you know who this victim was?" Souji asked the group once Yukiko had calmed down.

"No, but... I overheard it was another high school student." Yosuke looked miserable. "What if it's someone else from Yasogami? That would be two in just two days."

"I heard something," Chie said. When she didn't continue, everyone looked at her until she did. She made a defensive gesture. "It's just a rumor! It might not be anything." Souji asked her to continue anyway. "Well, there's this new revenge hotline that's been advertising recently. It just started since you've come back here. That's why I thought it was suspicious."

Now everyone turned to look at Souji, but he remained calm. He was almost used to being the source of these problems...

Well, I haven't been to the Velvet Room, he thought, so maybe it's not related to Shadows or Personas.

"What is this 'revenge hotline'?" he asked. "I haven't heard of it."

"There are fliers around town," Chie said. "There's one on the part-time job board. The one right outside here! Come on, I'll show you."

They left Aiya and went to the board. Among the part-time job listings that Souji was very familiar with was an incongruous white poster with big black lettering. It read:

"Do You Want Revenge? Call Us. We Make It Happen."

It was followed by a phone number.

"What a horrible thing," Yukiko murmured.

"Does... anyone want to call?" Chie asked. "Yosuke, you call!"

"Hell no!" Yosuke shouted, flinching. "I'm not going to volunteer for this! Do I look like Naoto?"

"I don't think we should risk it," Souji said. "I'll ask my uncle if he can trace the number."

"Speaking of Naoto-kun, maybe we should call her?" Chie suggested. "She might have access to more information than Dojima-san."

"We don't know if this is actually related to the murders," Yosuke pointed out.

"That's true, but I feel like she needs to be in the loop. Inaba is her home, too, even if she's away right now."

"I'll leave that to you," Souji said.

"Should we ask around town about the hotline?" Yukiko asked.

"And draw attention to it? I dunno..." said Yosuke. He looked at Souji. "It's your call, dude."

"Let's wait," he said. "Now, Yukiko."

"Yes, Souji-kun?" Yukiko adjusted her red hairband; she hadn't expected to be addressed directly.

"Listen at the inn for anything that sounds important. I'm counting on you. Yosuke. I'd like you to ask Teddie again if he's noticed anything odd about the TV World. And my job will be my uncle. He'll have to know something."

* * *

Dojima came home late that night, but Souji had stayed up, waiting for him in the living room. "Don't you have school tomorrow?" Dojima asked upon seeing him. "Oh, right. It's summer. The seasons change and I hardly notice."

"How's the case?" Souji asked, not wasting any time.

Dojima looked at him sharply. "Why do you want to know? Are you planning to get involved again?"

"One of the victims went to Yasogami."

Dojima splayed his fingers over his forehead. "It's like last year all over again." He sighed. "Look, I know I can't stop you from investigating, but be careful, all right?"

Souji promised he would. "My friends and I can handle it."

"You did good with Adachi, I'll give you that," Dojima admitted. "Don't know how you found him. Or Nanako, for that matter..."

Dojima's countenance became troubled as the worst memories from last year came back to him.

To change the subject, Souji asked what Dojima knew of the current case. "Nothing special, really," the detective answered. "You're right, the second victim—you've heard about that, right?—was also a student at Yasogami High. Naoki Konishi."

For several moments, Souji couldn't fathom what he'd just been told. Bile rose within him, and he began to sweat. He found his throat almost too dry to speak. "No..."

"I see you know what that means," Dojima continued. "There's going to be hell to pay. The Konishi family suffered enough last year."

Saki Konishi had been one of the victims last year... and now her little brother was slain by a new killer?

"And that makes two Yasogami students," Dojima went on. "If someone's out there targeting students, we've got to stop them, ASAP. In fact, I've only stopped in to pick up something. It'll be an all-nighter for me..." He looked at Souji directly. "You tell all your friends to stay home at night, all right?"

Souji asked him for more information before he left, and Dojima grudgingly obliged. "Well, Hamano Michiyo's boyfriend has an alibi, so he's already been released. I think he knows something, but he hasn't been much help." Dojima took out some pictures from a file folder and showed them to Souji. "The victims' bodies were both up on utility poles... Damn, it really is like last year. The coroner can't determine the C.O.D., just like Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi. But we know it can't be Adachi, however the hell he did it. He's locked up tight."

"Maybe we should talk to him anyway," Souji suggested.

"You want to? I sure as hell don't. I've nothing to say to that guy." Dojima's bitterness towards his ex-partner was apparent. "That damned fool thinks it's all a game."

Souji mentioned the revenge hotline, and Dojima seemed surprised to hear about it. "Probably just a prank. The things kids these days get up to..." Souji decided to stop his questioning there. He didn't want to worry his uncle too much, nor keep him from his work.

* * *

The ring of his cell phone awoke Souji bright and early. It was Yosuke, and he seemed to be in hysterics once again. "It's Chie! She's in the hospital!"

Souji rapidly blinked the sleep out of his eyes. "What happened?"

"I don't know—Look, let's get over there! We've got to know if she's okay!"


	2. Chapter 2

Souji met Yosuke at the hospital. After obtaining visitor's passes, they were ushered into Chie's room.

"Chie!" Yosuke shouted. The girl on the hospital bed turned her head to look at him, but it seemed to take her an inhuman amount of effort. Whatever happened had exhausted her. There was an IV attached to her arm, but the doctor had told them that her condition was stable.

"Q-quiet, you..." she murmured from the hospital bed. She smiled weakly at his concern.

"What happened, Chie!?" Yosuke yelled, and Souji told him to calm down. "I'm calm, I'm calm... Damn it, Souji, how can you be so calm!? This is Chie!"

"Shouting at her isn't going to help."

"All right... that's right..." Yosuke was breathing heavily in his panic.

Chie had a larger smile on her face now. The medicine or her exhaustion was keeping her light-headed, but oddly cheerful. "I'm glad... you're here... Now I know... how Nanako-chan felt..."

"Can you tell us what happened?" Yosuke begged as quietly as he could manage.

"The phone rang at my house... I answered it, and then... I don't know... Something attacked me from the phone."

"Something came out of the phone?"

"But Tomoe protected me... and I fell down. Now... I'm here."

"They said you're going to be fine," Souji said.

"Good... Thank you, Souji-kun... It feels good hearing it from you..."

"Get some rest," he told her, and she fell asleep while trying to nod.

"Chie," Yosuke murmured softly.

Souji guided him out of the room.

"The phone," Yosuke said. "Do you think... No, it has to be. It has to do with that revenge hotline! You think so too, right? But who would want revenge on Chie? She doesn't have any enemies who'd go that far, does she?"

Souji said nothing. He had a faint idea...

He told Yosuke to inform the others about what had happened. He had his own investigating to do.

* * *

At a clothing store in Okina City, Souji found the woman he was looking for: Ai Ebihara. She had a poor young fool trailing behind her, carrying all of her shopping bags. Souji remembered being in his position last year.

"Oh, it's you," Ai said upon seeing Souji, her eyes lighting up. "I heard you were back in town. Come to pay your respects?"

"I need to talk to you." Souji glanced at the boy with her shopping bags.

"You," she told the boy. "Get out of here. Seta can take care of this."

"B-but Ai-chan!" the boy protested. "We were going to go to lunch..."

Ai spread her hands in a shrug that clearly said, 'not my problem.' "He's an old friend, and if he's asked me out, he's asked me out. Tough luck."

The boy reluctantly left...

"So, where do you want to go?" Ai asked.

Souji eyed the shopping bags he'd now have to carry for her and gauged their weight. "The Chagall Cafe," he said, naming the closest place.

"My, so sophisticated!" Ai said. "I could do with a latte."

After they'd ordered a drink—Souji went with a soda; he needed to stay conscious—he came straight to the point. "Ai-san, do you know about that revenge hotline?"

She seemed surprised that he'd asked. "Well, yeah. Who hasn't, by now?" She waved a hand, her pink-painted fingernails catching the light.

"Have you called it?" he asked, bluntly ignoring her charms.

"H-hey!" she said, pulling her hand to her chest. "What kind of woman do you think I am?"

He looked her in the eyes until she gave in. "F-fine, so what if I did? Kou-kun asked her out! He's supposed to ask me out! Not her!"

Souji slouched in his chair, his suspicion confirmed. The fact did not cheer him. "I thought you weren't interested in Kou."

"I-I'm not, but it's the principle of it! I'm so much more attractive than that Satonaka! Not that it matters, anyway. That hotline is just a joke."

"It's not a joke," he told her. "Chie is in the hospital."

"What!" Ai gasped.

Souji explained what had happened.

"But... I only said I wanted her to break out in hives," Ai said into her latte when he was done. "I didn't want her to die!"

"Tell me what happened when you called the hotline."

"It was pretty weird... They asked my name, and who I wanted revenge against. And I told them what I'd wanted. And they said it'd be done."

"Who asked? A man or a woman?"

"Oh, it was a robotic voice. It sounded strange, like a computer."

"Ai-san, please don't call it again."

"I won't," she promised.

* * *

After leaving the cafe, Souji called Dojima. "Uncle, the victims. Check their phone records."

"What? Souji? What are you talking about? Hey, give me a moment here, it's my nephew." Dojima's voice sounded far off; he was talking to someone else. When he came back to the line, he ordered Souji to explain.

"The phone records at both the Michiyo and Konishi households. Who called them the night before they died? I... I think it's important."

"It wouldn't be difficult to get," said Dojima, "but I don't see why it would be important. I don't have time to waste—"

"Make time," Souji interrupted. "I need to know."

There was silence on the other end for some time. Finally, Dojima said, "I heard what happened to your friend... I'll do what I can."

* * *

Souji walked down the shopping district on his way home when he saw a shimmering blue door appear between the bookstore and Daidara Metalworks. He hadn't seen that in a while... Perhaps it was time to pay his respects to its residents.

Upon entering the Velvet Room, one's first sensation was of the color blue.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," a warm female voice said.

Then, details would emerge. A long liquor cabinet to the left, a glass brandy decanter open on the top shelf. Directly in front, a small, short table with a blue tablecloth, and behind it, comfortable velvet cushioned seats. Seated to the viewer's right, an elegant woman wearing a blue chauffeur coat and black leggings, smiling with golden eyes and wavy silver-yellow hair. The windows outside this limousine showed nothing but indistinct, blurred scenery rushing past as it moved on its continuous journey.

The woman spoke. "My heart might have skipped a beat to see you here again. Did your heart do the same...?"

"Margaret..." Souji said.

The woman's playful smile faded. "You will soon face your greatest challenge yet." She paused. "Have I told you that before...? Regardless, please be prepared, Souji Seta."

The vision faded. Margaret's voice followed him out of the Velvet Room. "I'll be watching..."

* * *

Souji spent the rest of the afternoon with Nanako, waiting for Dojima to get back to him. He answered the phone once; Yosuke was still frantic about what happened to Chie. He reported that there was still no activity in the TV World. "Teddie says the Shadows seem restless, but that's not unusual."

"We'll meet up tomorrow," Souji promised, "and go over what we've learned."

"All right, partner..." Yosuke said before hanging up.

Souji's manner must have been tense when he put the phone down, because Nanako asked him what was wrong. He wondered if he should tell her about Chie, but he decided against it; he didn't want her to worry.

The phone rang again some time later. It was Dojima. "Don't know how you knew," he said, "but... yeah, there was something in the phone records you had me look into. The second victim had been called by an unlisted number not long before the estimated time of death... It traces to a place in Okina City, but it's an abandoned house. There's not even a working phone line there."

Souji asked for the address.

"The address? You shouldn't be poking around into this..." Dojima hesitated for several long moments. "Souji. Your friend, Satonaka... I checked her house too, and it was also called by this number. Tell me what it means."

Souji repeated the number he'd seen advertised on the revenge hotline poster.

"How in the world did you know the number?" Dojima exclaimed. "Souji, if you know something, God help me...!"

"Please give me the address."

* * *

The next morning, Souji called Yosuke, Kanji, and Yukiko to meet him at Okina City. When they arrived, he told them his findings.

"So this hotline actually works? And someone called for revenge on Chie!?" Yosuke shouted in his frustration. "W-what the hell, man!"

"Who'd do such a thing...?" While Yosuke was angry about it, Yukiko had retreated into herself. She was perhaps more introspective than she normally was. "My Shadow might have called, had it been able to..."

"You had nothing to do with it," Souji assured her. He hadn't named Ai Ebihara as the one responsible, in case Yosuke decided to call the hotline on her in counter-revenge.

"If you're not feeling well, Yukiko, you don't have to come with," Yosuke said with sudden concern. "We guys can handle this, right?"

"Damn right!" said Kanji. He was still panting slightly from riding his bicycle all the way to Okina.

"I'm already here," she said demurely. "And I have to be here... for Chie."

Using a map, they navigated to the address Dojima had given Souji. The location seemed to be an abandoned house on a run-down street. By the look of it, it seemed no one had lived there for years. Trash was piled up in the yard as people used the lot as a dumping ground. A window was smashed open, and the shutters were rotting apart. The garden under the windowsill contained only the memories of flowers. Several shingles were falling off the roof, and the paint was peeling up in several areas.

"What a dump," said Yosuke, voicing everyone's opinion. "Still, I could see someone using it as a secret hideout."

"We're here. Now what?" Kanji asked, looking at Souji.

"We... go inside." Souji navigated past the trash in the yard and to the front door. He gingerly tried the doorknob, but the door was locked.

"Step aside," said Kanji, and he slammed his shoulder into the door several times until it gave way.

"We could have found another way in," said Yosuke, watching Kanji rub his shoulder.

"Tch, we're in now. Who cares how?"

Souji hesitated before following the others in. "This feels familiar..." he said to himself.

"Are you feeling deja vu?" Yukiko asked. "I feel it sometimes when I meet new people, but I think it's because I work at an inn. I often meet people I've seen before."

"I'm not sure," said Souji.

"It's as bad inside as out," Yosuke warned. "Watch out for the hole in the floor there. Anyone thought to bring a flashlight?"

Souji took out a detective's badge and pressed a switch on it, and it produced a bright yellow light. "Nifty! Where'd you get that?" Yosuke asked. Souji didn't reply.

"Move it back over to the left, Senpai!" said Kanji. "Yeah, there! It's a damned phone!"

"Didn't Dojima-san say there wasn't any phone service here? That makes no sense." Yosuke picked up the phone and put it to his ear. "Yeah, nothing. Man, look. The phone line's been cut anyway." He put the phone back down.

"Maybe the line works, and someone's bringing in their own phone set and cables," Yukiko suggested.

"Well, we can't really test that. We've only got our cell phones. Let's look around some more."

"Smells like cat piss," Kanji muttered as he opened a door to another room.

Aside from stray animals, there didn't seem to be any signs of frequent, or even rare, visitors to the house. It really was just an abandoned building.

Suddenly, the phone rang, startling everyone. "I thought you said it wasn't connected!" Kanji shouted at Yosuke.

"I did! What the hell!" Yosuke scrambled to the phone. He reached out to pick it up, but stopped, looking at Souji. "Uhh... Should I?"

Souji paused tensely for a moment before nodding.

"No good," said Yosuke. "They hung up. But how the heck is this working?"

"It's that night at the Amagi Inn all over again," said Kanji. "This place is giving me the damn creeps!"

"Huh?" Yukiko asked.

"Uh, nevermind," said Yosuke.

The phone rang again, and Yosuke answered again. "Yeah, hello?"

They waited, watching him, but he just cradled the phone. "It's nothing. I don't even hear the phone click on the other end. It's just... nothing."

"I wish Chie was here," Yukiko murmured, hugging herself.

"Yeah, I don't think we're gonna find anything, partner. I guess it was a nice try, but—" The phone rang again. "Oh, I am not answering that again!"

Souji picked it up and put the receiver to his ear. A distorted voice spoke to him. "So, you've returned... I knew you couldn't stay away."

Souji breathed in sharply. "Who...?"

The voice continued. "How do you like what you've brought to this town?"

"Who are you?" Souji demanded.

"Come in and find me... If you'd really like to know..."

The old television set in the corner of the room flickered on, showing only static. "Whoa, man, it's not plugged in... It shouldn't be doing that!" Yosuke exclaimed.

A shadowy figure appeared on the television. Hiding in the static, its identity was impossible to make out. It seemed to move towards the camera. "Come after me, if you dare, Souji Seta..." it said. Then the television abruptly turned off.

They stared at the television for over a minute, as if it might do another trick.

"It knew your name," Yukiko said slowly, finally breaking the silence.

"What are you waiting for? We outta go in there and show him not to mess with us!" Kanji declared. He stepped towards the television, his arms twitching with excitement. "It's gotta be the killer, right?"

"We shouldn't," said Yukiko. "Teddie always says we should never enter a strange TV."

"But it's mocking us..." Yosuke sighed. "You're right, Yukiko. We can't get caught up in the moment. Besides, we aren't prepared. Do you have any idea why it's after you, partner?"

Souji was still staring at the television screen, as if he hadn't even heard.

"Yo, Senpai?" Kanji waved his hand in front of Souji's face, and finally Souji blinked and returned his full attention to his friends.

"No," he said, his face troubled. "I have no idea."

"It's not raining, and it's nowhere near midnight," Yukiko noted. "But that looked a lot like the Midnight Channel, didn't it?"

* * *

They visited the TV World the next day. Because Rise was not available, they relied on Teddie's "sniffer" to find out where that stranger was within it.

"It's no good. I don't sense anything different," Teddie said. "I'm beary sorry."

"You don't sense anything at all?" Yosuke asked.

"No one has been here since the Grand Prix."

"Maybe we should take Teddie to that strange TV?" Yukiko suggested.

"No," said Souji. "We can't risk a new entrance, even with Teddie."

"Sensei..." said Teddie.

"I'll think of something," Souji promised them. "For now, I want everyone to focus on the revenge hotline. Listen for other stories of people using it, and take down any posters you see for it. It's dangerous."

* * *

That evening, Souji spent quality time with Nanako. A suspicion had been forming in his mind all day, ever since the trip to that abandoned house. He felt that time was short; there was likely to be another victim soon. He had to do _something._

"Big bro... you look lost."

"Lost? But I'm right here..." He hugged Nanako close, saddened that his thoughtful demeanor was worrying her.

The revenge hotline frightened him. Anyone could be a target. That boy he'd seen with Ai Ebihara could call for revenge on him for taking Ai away from him... What if the hotline targeted him by attacking Nanako? Could he convince Nanako not to answer the phone? That was ridiculous... She needed to answer it in case Dojima called. Maybe he could buy a phone set that revealed calling numbers and teach her to answer only safe numbers.

And Yosuke had several enemies since he was the son of Junes' manager. Unsatisfied employees or customers, enemies of the Junes brand, or anyone else he might have offended with his caustic sense of humor.

Yukiko was probably safe... But there was that television producer she'd offended last year, who'd wanted to do a special on her family's inn being haunted, so there was always a chance.

Kanji had plenty of enemies from the biker gang he'd ejected from the town.

Was the phenomenon limited to Inaba? Because Rise surely had enemies in the idol business, and Naoto had likely made enemies during her detective work...

"Big bro...?"

"Hmm? Oh..." He looked down at Nanako, clinging to him. He forced a smile. "Did I ever tell you what my new school is like?" he asked.

"No! I bet you made lots of friends there!" She beamed up at him, and he put aside his dark thoughts and focused on spending time with her.

* * *

At Souji's urging, everyone spent the next day working independently on the case.

Yukiko heard from one of the chefs at her family's inn that a maid had tried calling the revenge hotline against her ex-husband, but that the number wasn't in service.

Both Yosuke and Teddie worked all day at Junes. They'd also overheard some talk about the hotline. By all reports, it seemed the hotline was suddenly out of business.

Kanji spent the day tearing down posters for the hotline all over the town. He also went to Okina City to make sure none had made their way there.

And Souji... He made his own plans.

* * *

In the hospital, Chie was slowly recovering. She could walk without help now, but the doctors wanted her to stay with them for a few more days, just to make sure she was fully-recovered.

It sucked. She was craving a steak bowl from Aiya... even at this hour.

She could hear the rain outside. It was always difficult for her to sleep during the rain. She remembered the Midnight Channel too vividly. She hadn't planned on being awake at midnight this night, nor facing the television that was set up in the corner of the room, but it just sort of happened.

She saw the television flicker on, with that staticky sound that was all too familiar.

She blinked at the screen. "No, not again," she whispered. Her tired eyes tried to make out what was being shown.

It was... Souji-kun.

Chie bolted upright in the hospital bed.

"Hahaha," said the boy on the television. It was a dry, humorless laugh. "It's me, the hero of Inaba."

No, that's not Souji-kun, Chie thought. It can't be...

"How well do you know me?" he continued. "Not well enough, I'm afraid. You didn't know I'd do this, did you?"

Chie frantically searched for her cell phone at the bedside table, knocking over a glass of water in the process. When she found it, she began to dial Souji's number with trembling hands.

"That's all right," said the figure that was not Souji. "We have plenty of time. We're going to stay together forever. From now until eternity."

Chie finished dialing and put the phone to her ear. "The number you are trying to reach is out of service. For more information, press one." She swore and hung up.

The figure on the television waved and turned around and began to walk nonchalantly away. He looked over his shoulder at the camera. "I'll see you around."

The television turned off.

Chie called Yosuke next, but the line was busy. Yukiko was also busy, and Kanji wasn't answering. In desperation, she called Naoto, even though Naoto was too removed from the scene to do anything.

"Hello? Chie?" the young detective's voice came over the line.

"Thank God!" Chie wept into the phone.

"Ch-Chie? What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Chie said between gasps for breath, "but something really serious just happened over here and Souji-kun was just on the Midnight Channel and—"

"One moment please, Chie," Naoto requested. Chie could hear Naoto moving around in the background. By the rustle of paper, she was probably preparing to take notes. "All right. Now, from the beginning..."


	3. Chapter 3

They had all seen the Midnight Channel. They all knew what it represented.

In Souji's absence, Yosuke organized the remaining available Investigation Team members—himself, Teddie, Kanji, and Yukiko—to meet at the Junes food court so early in the morning that he had to unlock the store's side door because it wasn't yet open.

He stared blankly at the table, eating a Topsicle without tasting it, waiting for everyone to join him. He couldn't remember a time he felt more lost. Even when Saki-senpai had died, he hadn't felt this ill. After that Midnight Channel last night...

"Where are the others?" asked a voice he hadn't expected to hear.

"N-Naoto?" Yosuke sat up. "What are you doing here?" He noticed the bags under her silver-gray eyes. "You look beat."

"You might wish to look in a mirror yourself," said the ace detective, tipping her signature blue cap at him and taking the seat across from him. "Chie-senpai told me the situation last night, and I came as soon as I could. I slept during the train ride, but only lightly."

"Yeah, I couldn't really sleep myself..." Yosuke admitted. "Yukiko and Kanji should be on their way. I've got Teddie in the TV World, trying to sniff out where Souji is."

"We know him well," said Naoto, "so we should be able to find him, if he's there."

"Yeah... Let's hope Teddie is up to it."

Yukiko and Kanji arrived soon, but with half the team missing, the table felt empty. Yosuke made a half-hearted joke about Kanji being glad Naoto was there, but Kanji wasn't taking the bait and the joke fell flat.

"Well, let's get to business, then," Yosuke said with a sigh. "If Souji was on the Midnight Channel, then he's in the TV World."

"But who put him in there?" Yukiko asked. "No one knows about it except us."

"Maybe some of the Shadow Operatives?" Yosuke asked. He looked at Naoto, who had the most experience with the Shadow Operatives out of all of them.

Naoto shook her head. "Although they have the power, I highly doubt they are involved. Mitsuru-san has great respect for Souji-senpai."

"Namatame is still around," Yosuke said. "I still don't trust that guy..."

"We are getting ahead of ourselves." Naoto began to write in a notebook. "First we must establish when Souji-senpai was last seen."

"Let's see..." said Yosuke. "Yesterday he had us all working on our own."

"We didn't even meet up at all," said Yukiko. "Did anyone see him? I didn't."

After some discussion, it turned out that Yosuke had been the last to see him at about 8 o'clock the previous night. "Yeah, he was at Junes. I asked what he needed, and he said he was just buying some groceries for a meal that Nanako-chan wanted to make for tomorrow—well, today. Since it was so late, he'd gone shopping without her. Dojima-san doesn't like her being out after dark, even with company."

"I'll call Nanako-chan," said Yukiko, taking out her cell phone. "She should have seen him last night, when he came home."

"That is, if he came home," Naoto said, assuming a thoughtful pose with her hand on her chin.

"Hi, Nanako-chan? Yes, hello. It's Yukiko Amagi. Yes, you remember! Of course you can come to the hot springs anytime you want! Oh, well, we were wondering when you'd last seen your big brother? Not since yesterday morning? Umm, so you didn't send him out grocery shopping last night? I see. No, it's all right, Nanako-chan. Take care now!" She put down her phone and turned to the group, her eyes downcast. "You probably got all that—Nanako-chan hasn't seen him, and she never asked him to go shopping for anything either. So, Yosuke..."

"Hey! I'm not lying! He really told me that!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"So... Souji-senpai lied to you." Naoto sighed. "Perhaps our leader has something to hide."

"Not everyone's got dirty secrets, Naoto!" Yosuke said indignantly. "Souji's a great guy, and you know it! He's my partner!"

"I'm not impeaching his character," Naoto said carefully. "I am merely suggesting that he had something on his mind. Do you recall what his Shadow said?"

"His... Shadow?"

"What appeared on the Midnight Channel last night. According to Chie-senpai, it said, 'How well do you know me?' It ended with, 'You didn't know I'd do this, did you?'"

"Are you saying... Senpai went in the TV on his own?" Kanji said, dumbfounded. "Shit, Senpai's smarter than that!"

"His desire to protect us is quite strong," said Naoto. "Perhaps he felt some sense of desperation after Chie-senpai was targeted..."

"Damn!" Yosuke swore. "And now he's stuck in the TV World... We're gonna have to save him! Yukiko, what's the weather forecast!?"

"Oh, umm... It's supposed to be foggy tomorrow."

Naoto's eyes widened. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"Yeah!" said Kanji. "Let's go... and save Senpai!"

* * *

Teddie greeted them enthusiastically. He'd easily sensed Souji's presence. "Sensei is this way!"

As they followed him, they wondered what sort of place Souji's inner self would create. When Yukiko had been thrown into the TV World, her self had created a castle because she'd desired a knight to come rescue her from her responsibilities. Kanji's self had created a steamy bathhouse, representative of his desire to be accepted for who he was. Rise's self had created a strip club, reflecting her wish to be seen beyond her idol glamour. And Naoto's self had created a secret base, reminiscent of her childhood dreams.

"Ta-daaa. Here it is!" Teddie exclaimed, stopping suddenly.

They spread out to see what stood before them.

"It's... a town?"

At first, it looked like an ordinary neighborhood in an ordinary city, but upon closer examination, one could see that something was off about it. None of the houses matched, as if each house had come from a different neighborhood and had been individually uprooted and transplanted there. The streets were broken and uneven, as if they, too had been picked up and placed there from somewhere else. Every house had a different style of fencing, a different type of mailbox, a different color scheme, an overall completely different look to them... Some of the buildings seemed to be apartment rooms entirely detached from their complexes.

Teddie didn't want to go in. "Maybe... I'll be your backup? Just like in the old days?" he said hopefully.

"Well, it's true we don't have Rise-san," Naoto murmured, and Yosuke agreed. "Just stay in contact!"

They began to walk down the broken street, carefully navigating over gaps in the sidewalk.

"Kind of reminds me of Adachi's world," said Yosuke.

"It's more normal, somehow," said Yukiko. Adachi's world had been a dark and frightening representation of Inaba, perhaps a reflection of how trapped he had felt in the small town. But this place... The sky was bright and sunny, but the sky also looked like a quilt. It looked as if someone had taken pictures of the sky at different places and then stapled them together.

"It's like a time capsule," Naoto mused. "There are no people, and no wildlife... These houses are memories..."

"What do you mean?" Yosuke asked, but Naoto didn't explain.

Yukiko shaded her eyes against the bright sun. "How many houses are there, do you think? This road seems to go on for a while."

"By my count, we've passed a dozen so far," said Naoto. "I worry that there are no Shadows."

"Worry? Isn't that a good thing?" Yosuke asked.

"Well, maybe it means we're going to run into something big," said Yukiko in a voice barely above a whisper, as if the Shadows could hear.

"What the hell!" Yosuke suddenly yelled and dashed forward. "It's that house!"

Sandwiched between two other houses was one eerily to familiar to Yosuke, Kanji, and Yukiko.

"It's that dump in Okina!" Kanji exclaimed.

It was a completely restored version—it had a freshly-mowed lawn, a complete roof, bright pink flowers under the windowsill—but it was definitely the same house.

"Oh, that place..." Yukiko murmured. "What's that doing here?"

"What place is this?" Naoto asked, and they informed her that this was the house that the revenge hotline seemed to call to. They told her of their trip to it, and what happened there.

"Souji-kun said it was familiar to him when we went inside..." Yukiko recalled.

"I suspect he might have lived there at some time in his life," said Naoto. "That's what this neighborhood is. All of these houses... are places he used to live. He's told me before that his family moved often. His parents are employed in a job that requires it."

"The hell? That's a lot of houses..." Kanji muttered. "Surprised he remembers so many."

"Do you think... Should we try entering one of the houses?" asked Yukiko.

"I wouldn't," said Naoto. "They appear to be mainly for display. Besides, something different is up ahead."

The neighborhood gave way to a school. It wasn't Yasogami; by its placard it was an elementary school. The gate was locked, so they walked past it, only to find that the street had several other schools on it.

"It's creepy to see a school with no students. Have you ever visited Yasogami on an off day?" Yosuke asked.

"Houses, and now these unfamiliar schools. What do they mean to Souji-kun?" Yukiko asked. "They're memories, but why make his world about it?"

After another half an hour of walking past different schools, they came across something familiar. "Hey, it's Yasogami!"

It looked exactly like the high school in Inaba that they all went to. "Heh, seeing this in the TV World reminds me of Labrys," said Yosuke, "I wonder how she's doing?"

"Don't remind me of that," growled Kanji. "Might think I'm dreaming again..."

Out of curiosity, they approached the high school, but when Yosuke touched the gate to try and push it open, the gate suddenly dissolved into fog. Soon after, the entire school disappeared too.

"What the hell is this?" Kanji pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on, but they didn't remove the fog as they once did. "Teddie! Your glasses ain't working!" he shouted.

"Wh-what!?" Teddie's voice filtered into their heads from far away through his Persona. "Bear with me! Oh, I wish I'd come with you guys! Senseiiii!"

The Investigation Team drew closer together to face the fog.

"You still have those glasses?" Yosuke sounded incredulous. "We haven't needed them since spring."

"Wh-what of it? They look good on me..." Kanji seemed embarrassed.

"So you keep them on you just in case you ever need to look cool? You're unreal, sometimes."

Kanji opened his mouth to reply when Teddie interrupted. "Oh! I sense Sensei! Just keep moving forward!"

"Fine, fine, but which way's forward...?" Yosuke muttered.

The fog cleared, revealing an empty beach. Sitting on the shore and watching the slowly-crashing waves was Souji. The water was mostly calm, and the sky was overcast.

"Souji-kun," Yukiko whispered.

Apparently lost in thought, he didn't seem to notice their presence.

"Hey, uh, partner?" Yosuke tried. "We're here for you."

Naoto motioned everyone back. She took her gun out of its holster and then slowly approached Souji from behind. "Senpai?" she said, moving closer. She could almost touch him...

"Naoto!" Kanji shouted. "Dammit, get back!"

Souji tried to stand up, and fell face-forward into the sand. From his body came a black fog that convalesced into his shape—his Shadow self.

"How nice," the Shadow said in a distortion of Souji's voice. "They've all come for you. Even the Detective Prince, who wasn't even in town..."

"Souji-senpai!" Naoto called. "You know what you have to do!"

The Shadow laughed. "Not so smart after all, are you? You don't think he hasn't already tried to accept me?"

"Senpai's strong, but... he's hurting too?" Kanji asked. "We've all gone through this before."

"I am Souji, and he's me... He already knows it! He's already told me, 'I accept you,' and 'I accept that you're a part of me.' But are words really enough? Words without meaning are just that!"

"Urgh," said Souji from his place in the sand. He seemed to have given up; he made no move to even look at his Shadow.

"You won't get out of this so easily," the Shadow told him, kicking sand over him. "You won't be the hero this time. No, no, no. You can't be the hero when you're the enemy!"

Souji didn't answer.

"Come on, partner! You can't just sit there and let it run its mouth!" Yosuke shouted.

"The enemy?" Naoto asked.

The Shadow laughed, hearing her. "Yes, the enemy was inside him all along. I am him, and he is me!"

"Shit, make some sense!" Kanji shouted, brandishing a deck chair.

The Shadow laughed again. "How well do you know your dear Souji-kun? How much do you know how he fears loneliness? How he fears he'll be forgotten? Let me show you!"

The ocean vanished, replaced by a school classroom. A little girl wearing a backpack was talking to a gray-haired child—a much younger version of Souji.

"Souji-kun," she said. "Are you really moving? But we just met..."

The scene faded into another. It showed the front gate of one of the schools they had seen earlier. A small boy was talking to little Souji. "You're leaving? Where are you going? You'll be back, right?"

Another scene, this time little Souji was crying in front of two adult figures: his parents. "What! You lost Baby Bear?" his mother said. "How did you lose him? You let someone at school borrow him? Souji! You knew we were moving! Well, it's too late now. You'll just have to live without him."

The next scene was a playground. Little Souji was surrounded by other kids. One of them said, "Oh, you're the new student everyone's talking about. What, you're only going to be here for a month? There's no point in being friends, then."

Another student in the group added, "I don't want you on my baseball team if you're just going to leave."

The scene changed again: Souji was in a classroom, and a girl was speaking to him. "Sou-chan, you're really leaving? That's okay... We'll be friends forever!"

The word 'forever' echoed on...

The visions ended, and the beach returned. The Shadow said mournfully, "When Souji moved, he wrote to that one, but she never wrote back."

"Damn," said Kanji. "Kid's had it rough..."

"'Out of sight, out of mind,'" the Shadow quoted. "But that's all in the past, right?" The Shadow looked down at Souji, who still hadn't stirred from his place in the sand. "I mean, your new friends, they'd never forget you... would they?"

"Hey, we came all this way for him!" Yosuke interrupted with feeling. "Souji's my partner. We're friends forever. I don't care what some little princess told him in grade school, but for me, that forever is real!"

"Is it, Souji? Do you believe him?"

"I..." Souji began.

"He'd like to think that," the Shadow said, finishing for him. "But his lifetime of moving still isn't over. His family has made him leave Inaba, the one place he felt truly loved. What if, the next time he visits, that love has waned?"

"That won't happen," said Yukiko. "He'll always have a place at my family's inn."

"Souji, Souji... Let me tell you a story. Some time in the future, you'll come to visit Inaba, and find that no one is waiting for you at the train station. You'll go to your uncle's house, knock on the door, and find that no one's home. You call him up, and it takes several tries before he bothers to answer. He's forgotten that you were coming to visit. When he finally comes home with Nanako, she hides behind his legs, afraid of you. You aren't her big bro anymore—you're a stranger... too much time has passed."

"Nanako-chan won't forget him," Yosuke said levelly.

The Shadow continued. "The next day you go to the Junes food court, where everyone was supposed to meet you, but no one shows up. Fearless leader, everyone's moved on without you. No one has time for you, no one has time to reminisce about the days when you were the hero..."

"That won't happen!" Yosuke shouted.

"Won't it, though? It's happened over and over again... Isn't that right, Souji?"

"No," Souji said hollowly.

"But what if there was a reason for his friends to gather around him once again... A murder, perhaps? Or... two murders?"

"I didn't..."

"You didn't, but I did!" the Shadow shouted triumphantly. "And you're me, so it's just the same!"

"You started the revenge hotline?" Naoto queried. "On Souji-senpai's behalf?"

"Yes! I've been in this Shadow World ever since he first entered that fateful day in April last year, and I've been gathering power ever since. Enough power to affect small things in your world. I created the revenge hotline, and waited for people with dark enough hearts to call... and turned their wishes into death. Some girl jealous of Hamano Michiyo's popularity wished her dead, and someone in Naoki's family blames him for his sister's death... I granted these wishes to give Souji another chance at heroism!"

"No," Souji whispered. He struggled to raise his head. "I didn't want this."

"Didn't you? Don't you want the Investigation Team to stay together... forever?"

"Not at this cost." Souji pushed himself into a kneeling position. "Naoki was my friend."

"Some friendships die so that others may live!" The Shadow held up its arms in a grand gesture. "It's just life!"

Souji shook his head. "You attacked Chie. That I cannot forgive."

"But it united the team as nothing else. Why else is the Detective Prince here?"

"Actually, I'm here because Souji-senpai was on the Midnight Channel," said Naoto. "But I admit it was Chie-senpai who informed me of the matter."

"You wanted to kill Chie, didn't you?" Yosuke accused. "We could have lost her... I'm sorry, partner, but I can't let this go!"

Yosuke suddenly brought out his knives and attacked the Shadow. The clang of metal sounded out as the Shadow blocked with a katana it produced seemingly from the air. Yosuke swore as the Shadow easily threw him back.

A mass of lightning bolts hit the Shadow as it stalked towards Yosuke—Kanji had joined the fray with a Ziodyne—but the attack was completely ineffective. Seeing this, Kanji tried to slam the deck chair into the Shadow, but missed, and the unbalanced attack landed him in the sand.

Yosuke summoned his Persona, Jiraiya, and blades of wind whipped around the Shadow, which countered with its own Ziodyne, knocking Yosuke right off his feet. The Shadow followed up by charging at him while he was down, bringing its katana swinging down. A gunshot interrupted—the bullet ricocheted on the katana, but threw the Shadow off-balance just enough so that it missed Yosuke, burying the katana into the sand next to him.

"T-thanks, Naoto!" Yosuke shouted as he scrambled back to his feet.

"Keep fighting!" she shouted back at him, summoning her Persona. Sukuna-Hikona's bright blue sword of light slashed at the Shadow.

"Be careful!" Teddie spoke into their minds. "It's preparing a darkness attack!"

Within seconds, the Shadow sent a mass of purple-black fog hurtling towards Yukiko, who had been on standby, ready to use her Persona's healing powers when needed.

"Yukiko!"

In a flash, she was down in the sand, unconscious.

Yellow-white light then surrounded the Shadow as Kanji removed its protection against electric attacks. The Shadow ignored him and stepped back to gather energy around itself.

"It's charging up!" said Teddie.

"We can see that, Teddie," Yosuke answered under his breath. He wondered if he should brace himself; the Shadow's next attack was sure to be a strong one. Usually Souji would give him orders, deciding the best plan for him, but his partner was down on the ground, apparently unconscious. After seeing Souji so vulnerable, the decision was made for him. "Jiraiya!" he shouted, and his Persona manifested and slashed viciously at the Shadow.

The Shadow laughed and several large bolts of electricity rained down from the sky, earthing themselves into the three remaining Investigation Team members. Yosuke crumpled to the ground, knocked out by the attack, but Naoto had been defending, and Kanji's Persona thrived on electricity.

"Is that all you got!?" Kanji shouted, feeling revitalized.

"Antagonizing it may not be the best course of action," Naoto murmured. "It's obviously quite strong..."

"Yosuke's down! Oh, Sensei, we need you!" Teddie whined.

On the ground, Souji stirred as if he'd heard his friend's words, but he soon seemed to give up the effort.

The Shadow turned its attention to Kanji, who relished the fight ahead. "Bring it on!" he shouted, and summoned his Persona to bring down Ziodyne once again. The Shadow withstood the attack and came at Kanji with its katana.

While Kanji went toe-to-toe with the Shadow, Naoto resuscitated Yukiko with a revival bead. "Naoto-kun..." the girl murmured, eyes opening. "What...? Oh!"

"Stand up and get ready!" Naoto concentrated to prepare her mind for her next attack.

Yukiko pulled out a fan and attempted to summon her Persona, but the Shadow broke away from its fight with Kanji to use Bufudyne on her, taking her right back out of the battle.

"You bastard!" Kanji shouted. "Get back here! Your fight's with me!" He summoned Take-Mikazuchi, and the colossus-like Persona swept its massive blade along the sand, tripping the Shadow. "Yeah! Gotcha now!" Kanji's Persona followed up with a heavy attack, knocking the Shadow so hard that it ended up back on its feet.

The Shadow swept up a great gust of wind, stirring up sharp sand that cut into Kanji like dozens of small razor blades. The force of the wind picked up until he was knocked over by it. The Shadow then turned to direct its wind attack on Naoto. Seeing the enemy coming, she shouted, "Megidolaon!" Bright starlight tumbled from the sky into the Shadow, collectively pressing a great weight down upon it.

"Nao-chan! You're the only one left!"

"I'm well aware of that..." Naoto's eyes flickered to Souji as she prepared herself for the Shadow, which came running at her with its katana. The sand impeded her movement, making it difficult for her to keep a safe distance from the enemy, and soon it was upon her. It knocked her down with the flat of its blade before she could summon her Persona for support.

She looked up at the Shadow from her place in the sand. It lifted its katana high into the air, preparing to bring it down on her. "Senpai!" she shouted. "You have to accept it!"

"I can't..." Souji whispered, his voice barely audible.

"You have to! What it represents won't change what we feel, Souji-senpai! We'll always be your friends, regardless!"

"I can't...!" he repeated desperately.

Naoto met his eyes; they reflected such unimaginable pain and sorrow that she had to look away. "Please!" she urged, closing her own eyes. The katana would come down at any moment.

"But... it's not my Shadow..."


	4. Chapter 4

"You're not my Shadow," Souji repeated, slowly coming to his feet.

The Shadow paused reflectively in its attack and tilted its head towards him. "So, you finally recovered from that beating I handed you."

Souji walked towards his enemy with purpose. He summoned Izanagi, proving that his words had been true. Izanagi created a barrier around Souji, who hefted his katana in preparation to fight the Shadow.

"If I'm not you, then what am I?" the Shadow asked, lifting its katana in parody of Souji's common fighting stance.

With the Shadow distracted, Naoto tried to sneak away and make a dash for Yukiko, intending to resuscitate her. If Yukiko was conscious, her Persona could bring the party back to full power. However, the Shadow noticed her. "Oh, I don't think so!" it said, and in a flash it stood before her, blocking her path. Naoto pulled up short and tensely raised her gun, but despite the katana, the Shadow was not hostile at the moment. Souji moved to her side, his presence a comfort to her, but the Shadow now stood between them and their fallen friends. It leered at them.

Souji slowly began to explain what had happened to him. "When I came here, into the TV World, on my own..."

"SENSEIIIIII!" Teddie wailed into both of their minds. "You aren't supposed to DOOOOO THAT!" Naoto winced at the sudden noise; she'd almost forgotten Teddie was still there.

"I know, Teddie," Souji replied levelly, "but I had to. I couldn't let it target anyone else. But when I came in, this world formed around me. I was a little lost at seeing all these places where I'd used to live. I'd honestly forgotten most of them. When I came to this beach, the Shadow attacked me and overpowered me, but it let me live."

"Only for the moment," the Shadow whispered.

"It hadn't taken on my form then," Souji continued. "It was a huge mass of shadows."

"I'm reminded of the Grand Prix," Naoto commented. "How the Shadows were able to take on our forms."

The Shadow laughed, an inhuman sound that the real Souji was incapable of making. "I am the fusion of Shadows too numerous to count. We were spurred into action by Souji Seta when he touched the TV in his room some nights ago. We felt the spark of power... and we desired his attention."

"Well, you have it," Souji said bluntly.

"We... did not actually invent the revenge hotline. Some foolish humans started it... and we used it for our own purposes to taunt him into entering the TV World. We Shadows feed on human emotion... and the emotions of Persona users are an exquisite taste... We enjoyed seeing his reaction to this world, seeing his despair, fear, and loneliness. Just as we enjoy the anger you are directing at us right now."

"It ends here," Souji promised.

He swung upwards at the Shadow with his katana, but the Shadow danced back several steps. It smirked at him, and then its body seemed to melt into black ink. The ink ran to the ground and pooled rapidly, growing upwards and coalescing into a giant Shadow that was twice as tall as Souji. The mass blossomed out like a lotus flower, revealing its true form: a blazing sun with eight thick arms radiating out from it. Its head in the center shone too brightly to be looked at directly. Some of the arms held objects, and some were scrambling in the sand as if they wanted to escape the body they were attached to.

One arm swung a baseball bat at Souji, but he dodged it—barely. Another arm immediately came at him with—a stuffed bear? He recognized it as a toy he'd once lost as a child... Distracted somewhat by the symbolism, the arm knocked him back several feet. The sun turned its massive body to face him and shuffled forward, concentrating on keeping him down.

Naoto aimed her gun where she thought the sun might be weak: the joint between an arm and the main body. The attack was unexpectedly effective; it completely severed the arm from the body. The arm fell to the ground, where it broke its shape and reformed into a large Shadow that resembled an oversized crawling baby: a Bambino Shadow. The baby cried and summoned fire around her. She endured the attack, but the smoke made it difficult to breath.

"Teddie, is it immune to light?" Naoto asked when she finished coughing.

"I-I don't know, Nao-chan!" Teddie answered, sounding worried.

Naoto sighed. He was certainly no replacement for Rise-san. She would have to find out the hard way. She summoned her Persona, which formed a square pattern in the sand under the baby. Light emanated from the square's edges, engulfing the Shadow, and when it faded, the baby was no longer there.

"Well done, Nao-chan!" Teddie cheered. "B-but Sensei's in trouble!"

While she had been fighting the baby, the giant sun knocked down Souji. It apparently intended to smother him with its mass. Naoto tried shooting at its main body to get its attention, but it was as if her attacks had no effect. In frustration she shot off another arm, and soon she was facing another Bambino.

"You've got to help Sensei!"

"I know," she told Teddie, trying to remain calm. She couldn't help Souji when this baby was still attacking her. She tried a light skill once again, but this time the baby was lucky and survived.

The baby used a skill that pulsated green light around her. She began to feel nauseous, and time seemed to slow down for her. When the baby attacked by swiping its stubby arms at her, she found she couldn't dodge it in time. In frustration, she tried to shoot it with her gun, but her shot went wide of the mark, missing so completely that the baby didn't have to do anything to avoid it.

"Nao-chan!" Teddie sounded desperate. "I don't think Sensei can breath!"

Naoto dazedly looked towards Souji, but all she could see in that direction was the giant sun Shadow. She could only hope that Souji wasn't losing his fight.

The baby attacked her once again and knocked her down, which allowed it another free hit on her. She then wished Teddie was here in person for his healing abilities, or that she had been able to bring back Yukiko...

Finally her nausea cleared as the baby's debilitating skill wore out. She summoned her Persona once more, this time directing a Mudo skill at the baby, since the Hama had failed. The baby squealed as the purple fog dispatched it, rending its body into nothingness.

Naoto rushed towards the sun, but it didn't seem to be moving, even to attack. She had no way to move it, if indeed Souji was being smothered by it.

In a flash, the sun was lifted into the air—and abruptly tossed aside. Naoto blinked, and then saw Kanji pulling up a wheezing Souji from the ground. Either the Shadow hadn't defeated Kanji earlier, or Souji had found a way to bring him back to consciousness.

"Souji-senpai?" Naoto asked, ensuring he was ready to fight.

Although his face was still flushed from his near-asphyxiation, Souji nodded. "Let's do this."

"You got it, Senpai!" Kanji ran towards the sun and hit it as hard as he could with the deck chair. It fell over, but quickly righted itself with its remaining arms.

"The arms are its weakness," Naoto informed them. "If we can sever the remaining..."

"You two take care of that," said Souji, "and I'll focus on the body. It won't get me again."

In answer, Naoto took aim and shot off another of the sun's arms. She and Kanji worked together to defeat the Bambino it created.

While they took care of the arms one by one, Souji readied a Persona in his mind. He thought of Naoki Konishi, who had died as part of this Shadow's plan for power. After his sister had been murdered last year, Naoki lost what few friends he had. People began to treat him as something to be pitied—or worse, awkwardly avoided. Souji had helped pull him out of the depression he'd been sinking into, bringing back at least a little bit of his enjoyment in life.

And now Naoki's future had been snatched away from him. Souji clenched a store receipt in his fist, the item Naoki had given him as proof of their friendship, and brought forth the Persona Attis, the god of sacrifice. Attis heeded his call—a green-skinned demon wrapped like a mummy.

The giant sun had enjoyed summoning fire at him; that was how it had overpowered him earlier. Now such skills were rendered useless because Attis absorbed fire. The sun tried a different tactic: summoning a wind storm, but the power of Souji's Persona simply reflected the wind back at it. The sun was turned around by the wind, allowing Naoto an easy shot at its last remaining arm.

Unbalanced now, the sun fell backwards into the sand. Souji walked slowly, inexorably towards it with his katana in hand. Although he was not a cruel man, he wanted the Shadow to know he was coming to end it. He watched, unfeeling, as the Shadow struggled and failed to get up again.

"It ends now," Souji said with finality, and stabbed the sun right in the center of its face with his katana. The Shadow emitted a long squeal before melting into nothingness.

* * *

Souji stood unmoving over where the sun had been for several long minutes. While he reflected on the victory, Naoto and Kanji brought the rest of the team back to their senses.

Yosuke approached Souji with forced cheerfulness. "Man, partner, I thought my Shadow was bad, but it was nothing compared to yours!"

Naoto exchanged a look with Souji. He nodded, and Naoto explained that it hadn't been Souji's Shadow at all. "It was a Shadow, or, rather, several Shadows who wanted to absorb Souji-senpai's unique powers."

"Huh, so it wasn't your Shadow? Tch, it was strong enough to be," said Kanji.

"Then when Souji-kun was on the Midnight Channel, it was just a trick?" Yukiko asked.

Naoto nodded. "I suppose it wanted to entice us to come in here after Souji. We foiled its plan only by being stronger than it had anticipated."

"Barely," Yosuke muttered, recalling the powerful Ziodyne that had taken him right out of the fight. "Do you think that revenge hotline is over with, now?"

"Possibly..." said Naoto. "The Shadow implied that it was started by humans, and that it had simply borrowed their idea."

"Umm... Do you think another Shadow might do the same thing?" Yukiko asked. "That's really scary... We almost lost Chie..."

In lieu of answering, Naoto looked at Souji, and the others followed suit. Naoto was reminded of something she'd learned when working with the Kirijo Group: to some, Personas were a blessing, and to others, a curse...

"There's so much we don't know about Shadows," said Souji. He looked at Naoto. "Report what happened here to Mitsuru-san. It might help with their research."

"Of course."

"And... about whether it could happen again..." Souji looked troubled.

"Don't blame yourself," said Yosuke. "I can tell you're planning to. The Shadows would be here with or without you, right Teddie?"

"That's right, Sensei! This world is our home," Teddie said via his Persona. "By the way, Sensei, most Shadows are afraid of your amazing power! But some can't help but be attracted to it..."

"Like a moth to a flame?" Yukiko said.

"Like a Teddie to a girl he wants to score with!" Teddie said enthusiastically.

"Please drop it, Teddie," Yukiko replied, sounding tired.

"I'm beat," Kanji said. "Let's worry 'bout this tomorrow."

"All right," said Souji. "We'll meet up at Junes, and then visit Chie."

* * *

Souji returned home to find Dojima and Nanako celebrating with a large sushi tray. "It's over already," Dojima said, pointing at him with chopsticks. "We caught the punks that killed Hamano Michiyo."

"You... did?" Souji said.

Dojima peered at his face. "Huh, seems like this time you actually didn't know before you're supposed to. Fancy that. I was expecting you'd be able to tell me all about it. Yeah, these kids from outside of town had set up that 'revenge hotline'—and can you believe they actually took a job asking to kill someone? Sometimes you have to wonder what's wrong with this world." He shook his head to emphasize his disbelief.

"Dad... you forgot to order the sushi without wasabi..." Nanako made a face.

"Oh, I'm sorry... I always forget that, don't I? Here, give it to me." Dojima took the sushi from Nanako's plate and scraped the wasabi off so that she could eat it. "What about you? You can handle wasabi, right?"

Souji recalled a time he'd licked some wasabi left in the refrigerator last year... "I'll manage," he said, joining them at the table and putting some sushi on his plate. "Tell me about the case?"

Dojima explained that they'd found evidence that linked the creators of the revenge hotline to Michiyo's crime scene. In fact, Michiyo's cause of death was a subtle poison as discovered by special analysis in the crime lab. "Still no C.O.D. for Konishi, but we're thinking they did him in, too."

"I see," said Souji, and he asked no more questions.

"Seems they'd had the idea for a revenge hotline from some website that had been doing the same thing a few years ago down in Tatsumi Port Island. Well, I'm just glad it's over. Hey, Nanako, since I'm home, want me to read you a book tonight?"

"Yeah!" Nanako ran to her room to pick out her favorite book.

Dojima smiled after her. Souji was glad to see that the detective had been able to reconnect with his daughter. She needed him, especially after Souji had left Inaba...

While Dojima read to Nanako in another room, Souji ate his sushi without tasting it. Leaving Inaba... That might be what it all meant. Despite what his friends said, it was hard for him not to believe that it was his fault in some way. His special powers causing Shadows to resort to extreme measures... If he hadn't returned to Inaba, would Naoki still be alive?

* * *

Souji dreamed of a familiar place... a blue place.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

He opened his eyes. Margaret sat daintily in her usual place, the hefty Persona compendium seemingly weightless in her lap. She drew her red lips together in a smile. Her eyes danced at the sight of him, but turned cloudy in response to his expression. "You seem troubled," she noted. "Perhaps I could help?"

"Margaret," he said.

"What happened to you today draws heavily on your past," she said. "Have you thought about it? No... I see that you are focused on the death. I believe you have overlooked something."

Souji tried to think, but it was always difficult to focus in that place, in her presence. "Why did Naoki have to die?" he managed to ask.

"Focused on the death..." she repeated with a sigh. "Your social links will live on. Naoki Konishi is still very much a part of you, as is anyone who has ever called you a friend."

"I'm not worried about the power of the link," he protested.

"Of course. I know you better than that," she said, with a small, tight smile. "Let us try another approach... Recall what happened during Golden Week. Was that your own doing?"

"No. That was Labrys, and—"

"And yet you were involved," she interrupted. "Was it your fault?"

Souji didn't answer.

She smiled again, more kindly this time. "Several paths stretch before you... I trust you'll choose the right one. Think carefully on my words."


	5. Chapter 5

The dream faded, and Souji awoke on the futon in his room on the second story of the Dojima residence. It was already past midnight, and it wasn't raining, but he looked at the television in his room anyway.

'We were spurred into action by Souji Seta when he touched the TV in his room some nights ago,' the Shadow had said while wearing his own face.

It was his fault... wasn't it?

Despite not being his Shadow, the monstrous sun had taken on a form designed to disturb him the most, even carrying a Baby Bear toy and other objects that had been important to him in his youth. The sun itself had looked like a drawing he'd made when he was a kindergartner for his mother to put on the family refrigerator, though he hadn't admitted that to anyone, not even Naoto, whom he could trust to keep a secret.

Naoki... And it had attacked Chie as well...

What could he do? He couldn't get rid of his Personas. Even if he could, would he want to? The power of the wild card was said to be an exceptionally rare gift. Margaret would have something to say about that, let alone her younger sister who desired that same power herself...

The wild card... Like the number zero, empty, and yet filled with infinite possibilities...

I'm feeling empty right now, Souji thought to himself, leaning back in his futon to stare at the ceiling. If he'd only kept his curiosity in check and hadn't touched the TV, if he hadn't checked the Midnight Channel...

If he hadn't come to Inaba...

If this, if that... He couldn't change the past. Was that what Margaret had been trying to tell him?

The paths stretched before him. If he couldn't discard his power, and struggled even to keep it in check... What else was there to do but use it?

* * *

The Investigation Team's scheduled meeting was postponed due to Naoki Konishi's funeral. It was a beautiful sunny summer day, completely at odds with Souji's feelings. He wanted the sky to be overcast and threatening rain, to mirror the mourning bursting in his heart.

He was surprised to find Naoto waiting for him at the temple where the funeral would be held. At first, he thought that she had come there to support him, but she reminded him quietly that Naoki had been her classmate at Yasogami High.

In fact, Naoto wasn't the only Investigation Team member present. Kanji was there, along with his mother. It was strange to see him wearing a formal dress suit. He'd even removed his piercings for the occasion. Souji recalled that Kanji had been friends with Naoki in middle school. Yosuke was also present, perhaps in memory of Naoki's sister, who had worked at Junes before she had been killed. Yukiko had come to support Chie, who felt a commonality with Naoki as the Shadow's intended victim.

During the sutra reading, Naoto lightly touched Souji's hand to bring his attention to it; he had been holding the prayer beads so tightly that his hand was turning red. His frustration and helplessness at Naoki's loss seemed magnified during the ceremony.

After the funeral ended, Souji thanked his friends for being there, and then he went home and spent the rest of the day alone in his room.

* * *

Souji's friends noticed the melancholy eating away at him. To pull him out of it, they invited him on a trip to the beach. He almost declined, but Yosuke's enthusiasm for the trip made it difficult to refuse. Yosuke also smartly invited Nanako, and Souji couldn't let her go without him.

To Yosuke's—and perhaps Kanji's—disappointment, Naoto had already left Inaba for a case elsewhere, and so the mystery of what she looked like in a swimsuit remained unsolved. Perhaps she had suspected a trip to the beach was in the works, and escaped before she could be roped into coming.

The trip ended up cheering Souji up a bit; it was great to see his friends up to their usual antics. Teddie started a splashing fight with Yukiko and Chie, who teamed up to get back at him, prompting him to call for Yosuke to back him up.

Nanako made a sand castle, and Kanji accidentally tripped over it. In apology, he helped her make an even more elaborate one. Then Teddie declared himself the king of the sand castle, and he tried ordering Yukiko to be his queen.

At least this time, Kanji didn't lose his swimsuit and cause a near-disaster with the girls.

Souji himself didn't spend that much time in the water; he had more fun watching his friends. He also still had a lot on his mind...

* * *

That night Souji remembered something Margaret had said... that even old friends were still a part of him.

He scrolled through his contact list on his cell phone. There were so many people there whom he'd lost contact with after moving away from where he'd met them. He'd kept up with the Investigation Team, of course, but there were other people whose numbers he'd recorded before moving away, numbers he'd never once called.

He remembered a conversation he once had with Yosuke, in which Yosuke admitted that he, too, never called any of his old friends from before his family had moved to Inaba. He hadn't wanted to bother anyone by calling. Souji thought hard about it now. He knew that if anyone called him, he would be happy to hear from them. It wouldn't bother him at all.

While thinking, he'd scrolled all the way to the letter 'N' and stopped on a name there. 'Naegi.' That was a surname. What had been that boy's first name? Something ordinary... Souji hadn't put it in the phone.

Putting on a brave face, Souji called the number, and when the boy picked up, he explained who he was and why he was calling. "I saw your number in my phone and wondered how you were doing."

"You remember me?" the boy named Naegi said. "I'm really surprised! I tend to blend in with the crowds..."

Souji smiled to himself. "I remember that hoodie you always wore."

"I still have it!" the boy exclaimed. "In fact, I'm wearing it right now!"

"Do you remember me?" Souji asked. "I moved not too long after we met, but..."

"Let's see..." Naegi seemed to be thinking. "You were a year above me, but we were in soccer club together, right?"

"That's right!"

They spent a lot of time talking; Naegi was especially excited to hear that Souji was friends with a pop idol. After they ended the call, Souji basked in the warmth of his elation at having contacted an old friend. Naegi had been a good kid, but not very good at soccer, if he remembered right. It had been really fun to talk to him.

Empowered by the success of the call, Souji decided it was time to face his future. He scrolled further down into his contact list, seeking the name 'Shirogane.' Of his friends in the Investigation Team, this was a number he didn't often use; usually he relied on Chie to keep Naoto up-to-date.

Even Naoto was aware of it. "Souji-senpai? This is rather unusual," she said when she picked up.

"Naoto..." he said. "Could you get me into contact with Mitsuru Kirijo?"

"Of course," Naoto replied without hesitation. "I have her number here. I can inform her that you plan to call, as well."

"Thanks, but I plan to call her immediately."

A few moments passed before Naoto spoke. "Is something the matter? Well, if there is, I assume it's urgent, so I won't keep you." She proceeded to tell him the number.

"It's nothing," he said. "I just wanted to talk with her about something."

"Very well," said Naoto. "I'm sure she would enjoy hearing from you."

Souji appreciated how Naoto could keep her natural curiosity in check. He'd sensed her interest over the line. He'd have to talk to her again later.

He punched in Mitsuru-san's number. He stared at it on his cell phone's screen for several long moments before finally pressing the call button.

"This is Mitsuru Kirijo," said a mature, confident woman's voice. "May I know who's calling?"

"Hello, Mitsuru-san? This is Souji Seta." He paused before deciding more information might be required. "We met during Golden Week."

"Bien sûr! I remember." Her friendly tone of voice gave the impression that she was smiling at the other end. "You were the leader of your team. Your determination reminded me of an old friend... What can I do for you, Seta?"

"I was wondering... Would it be possible for me to join the Shadow Operatives?"

THE END

* * *

[Author's note: The story has a sequel called _Burn My Regret_. It can be found in my profile or at:  
s/10395873/1/Burn-My-Regret

Thanks for reading!]


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